Small inbounds avvy at Kirkwood

I triggered a small avalanche inbounds at Kirkwood on Wednesday.

Location: above the rock band just before the Palisades rope line.
Time: about 12:20 PM.
Conditions: roughly 12" of fairly wet, dense new snow. Rising temps climbed to 38 degrees by noon. Sun came out around 11:00. I saw several point releases in the vicinity, all wet slides and not very large. Patrol had done avvy in the morning: I saw several bomb craters, including one about 100 feet to the left of the picture.
Trigger: skier cut.
Size: appx. 20' wide, 12" deep, 150' long? (length estimate not confident)

I did the traverse and hike from Chair 6 all the way out the ridge, almost to the rope line. The tracks told me I was the first person besides patrol to go out that far. Along the way I saw several bomb craters, but no sign of slide activity until the rope line, where I saw debris from several small wet slides in the small chute (which is the only way out without mandatory air) to the right of the picture.

The area above the chute and cliff band is a big convex rollover at an estimated 40 degrees (I didn't measure it). I passed a couple even steeper entries on the way, but given the high temperatures and possible avvy risk, I didn't feel good about dropping into any of them. This looked to be my best option, as I could duck into the chute (which had already slid) in case of trouble.

I crested the rollover and made a check turn preparatory to dropping the rock band. As I did so, I felt my sluff go, and then a strange sensation which was the soft slab pulling out under me. Fortunately I was able to keep moving left, into the chute and out to safety. The slide was still moving when I stopped and looked back. It ran over the rocks and down into the first couple trees in the bowl below.

Even if I had been caught, odds are low that I would have been injured -- but it was still a sobering experience.

I did some things wrong and some things right.
Wrong: going out there with no partner. There were a couple snowboarders right behind me, but I didn't know them.
Wrong: skiing aspect next to one which had already slid.
Right: not skiing the chute on the way which was even steeper and had no escape route.
Right: having and using an escape route.

hindsight is 20/20. glad to see you are ok. i bet the boarders went for that chute you passed up.

the positive thing is that you are ok, learned somethings that you likely already knew and now you have experienced the feel and are more careful.

Thanks for posting that Spats. It's too easy to get lulled into a false sense of security just because you're skiers right of that boundary line.

Thanks for your insight.

Looks like you could have taken a nasty ride into some trees.

How deep was the deposition?

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

How deep was the deposition?

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Didn't think to measure it. From the height of the pile I'd guess about 3 feet, but that's an inexperienced guess. It was pretty spread out because the bowl flattens very gradually and the snow was so wet.

It was definitely a moment...I had time to think "hmm, that's a lot of sluff...I'm moving...this is no good, I'd better bail out". But because the snow is moving under you, you can't just turn and get out of the way. I could see how on a slope with slabbier conditions that let go more quickly, you wouldn't be able to evade anything at all.

Some people laugh at me for wearing a beacon inbounds on pow days. I don't care. Common responses are:

"No one else has one, so it's just gonna be good for finding your dead body."

"It's only snowed x amount of inches, what the hell do you need that for?"

I've ridden an Avy under One Man, set off a couple in Lower Cirque, others have gotten caught in other spots, and this is yet another example.

I'm not innocent of this either. Yesterday Splat asked me if I was beeping, and like an idiot I had forgotten it at home. Today I made sure I brought it along. I've worn it almost every pow day this year. So maybe patrol will just find my body. I don't fricken care. It's a smart thing to do and I'm gonna wear one.

The only reason not to is because you're "core." Beacons are light as hell, fit close to the body, and thus don't add any significant weight in weird places. So discomfort or some other stupid thing is not an excuse in my book.

Kirkwood, home of the inbounds slides. Ski with a friend.

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Originally Posted by Greydon Clark

Ski with a friend.

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And make sure he's beepin' too.

Hell yeah, Arty. I've been sluffed to my neck out in Lost Cabin, had Anton get buried right behind me in Palisades, and kicked off all of West Shore when I was halfway into it. The day will come when one or some of us have to save each other. Odds are moving that way.

And this is why Punani should stop skiing. Punani does not own a transceiver.
I cannot save Punani. Punani cannot save me.
PUNANI - GET A FREAKIN BEACON.

PUNANI doesn’t ski.

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Originally Posted by Arty50

The only reason not to is because you're "core." Beacons are light as hell, fit close to the body, and thus don't add any significant weight in weird places. So discomfort or some other stupid thing is not an excuse in my book.

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Yes beacons are light as hell, but are you skiing with your shovel & probe in bounds too?

Not raggin on ya of course or anything like that, 'cause I think it's a good idea to beep too. Like all of you, I've seen my share of in-bounds slides at the 'Wood. Heck I was almost got taken out last year on the lose-the-gaper-traverse by a slide coming down from the upper reaches of the Cirque.

On a big pow day at the 'Wood...the boundaries are generally closed. So there usually isn't any possibility of accessing the lift-served OB. So if you're skiing with a beacon in-bounds....what good is it to your crew if you don't have a shovel / probe too?

Again not pickin on your or anyone else or anything...but just bringing it up because I always hear talk of people wearing a beacon in-bounds on powder days, but there's been no mention of shovel / probe too which go hand-in-hand obviously. Just wanted to throw it out there.

But wtf...the only slides I've had to worry about this year are heel slides and wall slides. :rolleyes:

I like wearing a pack inbounds ‘cause the shovel protects my spine on my patented five-footers-to-back-slaps. Still an inbounds slide isn’t going to burry you deeply, the risk is getting your head stuck in a hole, caught in terrain trap or knocked off a cliff (Shake the Gaper in the LC). In my mind, the most import thing to have when exploring the lesser traveled corners of Kirkwood is a partner. Hell, in Big April one of the Australians had to be dug out after hucking the Wall Cliffs and having his bomb hole collapse on him.

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Originally Posted by Greydon Clark

Hell, in Big April one of the Australians had to be dug out after hucking the Wall Cliffs and having his bomb hole collapse on him.

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Damn those stinky Aussie's and their holes.

I'm going to start wearing swimmies on my arms to keep afloat if caught in a slide. It'll be sick.